Hawaii’s new Google street view update

Online search giant Google announced yesterday that they added more than 200 popular Hawaii visitor attractions, historical sites, resorts, parks, schools, and golf courses to its Google Street View collection.

As mentioned in this May story, Google has been adding Hawaii landmarks such as the Honolulu Zoo, Waikiki Aquarium, Iolani Palace, Hanauma Bay, U.S.S. Arizona and Kualoa Ranch, among other locations, toits cache of noteworthy spots. While that's great for visitors, this new milestone will be helpful to residents and intended residents.

On one hand, it’s a little creepy to know that you can punch in your address and find a shot of your house online, aswell as where it sits in relation to your neighbors on the street. But from a buyer perspective—especially if you’re from out of state—this tool helps you in your research to figure out if you want to live on Easy Street or Park Place (both real Oahu streets, by the way).

The upgrade to Google Maps takes you beyond the street view and allows you to zoom all the way in to explore areas more extensively; for example, this morning I went to look at Petrie Park in Kaimuki, Booth Park in Pauoa, Ala Moana Park, and Waikiki Beach—all from my laptop—to see if they displayed features that I might look for in a neighborhood.

Click here to see the full blog announcement from Google, and a complete list of all the parks, golf courses, and schools that you can find in the new maps. And next time you’re house-hunting, plug the address into Google Maps to see what else is in the area. I think you’ll find it adds greater depth of information to the details provided by the realtor.

About Our Writers

Honolulu Real Estate focuses on the Hawai‘i housing market, condos and homes for sale, Hawai‘i rentals and general news about real estate in Hawai‘i. It also includes stories on apartment living, home decor and profiles.

Melissa Chang graduated from the University of Hawai‘i with a degree in journalism. She has been blogging about food and travel since 2007. She works primarily in social media, so you can find her online @Melissa808 on Twitter and Instagram.

Jaymes Song is a real estate agent at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate in Kāhala. Jaymes is in the top 2 percent of Better Homes agents nationwide. He was voted “Best in Real Estate 2014” by HONOLULU Magazine readers. Previously, Jaymes was at The Orange County Register, Honolulu Star-Bulletin and rose through the ranks to overseeing news and operations for AP in Hawai‘i and the Pacific Rim. Jaymes lives in the Portlock area and loves his real full-time job as a dad to two curious kids.